Mary Smith was one of five children born to Thomas and Josephine Norvell. She married Arthur William Smith in 1940 at the age of 50 and had a large impact on the current style of the Smith Plantation Home. Mary graduated from Emory University in 1932 with a Bachelor of Philosophy degree, and in 1936 she earned a Master of Arts degree from Columbia University. Mary was an elementary school teacher with the R.L. Hope and Luckie Street schools in the Atlanta School System. Arthur and Mary traveled throughout Europe, and Mary refurbished the Smith Family home with many of her antique purchases from abroad. Mary died on New Year’s Day 1981 and left the Smith Plantation Home to her niece, Josephine Skinner (www.roswellgov.com)